One single product may seem like an odd choice to base an essay-length post on, but haven’t we all got a bit of a love affair going on with MAC and their Lipsticks? It’s almost like purchasing your first one is a right of passage into the MUJI-filled world of makeupdom. The candy shop-like stands, the fact they’re all undressed just screaming to be swatched and the limited edition packaging that often dresses them (anyone remember the Liberty of London one? That was my favourite) – the list of why I lust after them could go on and on which is why they make the perfect topic for my next ‘me, myself and my laptop’ post…
I think the best way to address the issue is to take you on a guided tour based on distinct colour eras that I passed through; so I’ll start where it all began – with the pinks. My first ever MAC purchase in the lip category was Creme Cup all the way back in 2010. I loved it so much that I used it down to a tiny nub which I eventually ended up scooping into a little pot and using in a lip balm like fashion. A cool, creamy pale pink – I paired it with an overly faux tanned face and thought I looked fabulous. Worn with double sets of false lashes on nights out it really was quite the combination (can you sense the sarcasm?). But my love for pink didn’t stop there, oh no. Next came Lovelorn; a colour still in the bubblegum family, but with a bit more oomph to it – one of my more successful forays into pink. Unlike Snob. Who remembers the beauty blogger obsession with this shade back in ’10? A lilac-y, white-based pink this looked utterly horrendous on me, but I refused to see it at the time and wore my glaringly unnatural looking pout with pride.
The pink moment was eventually phased out by my extreme attraction to extremely nude lipsticks. Now I ain’t talking the one shade lighter than your natural colour, natural nude; I’m talking concealer lips baby. Colours nowhere close to my lip shade that looked more like a blemish-buster in the tube than they did a lipstick. Oh gawd. Unfortunately many nightclub snapped pictures exist of this phase and it’s the one that I’m most often reminded about due to the fact that I still own most of them just for the laughs (and nostalgia). It all began with Creme d’Nude – the big mama of the beige lips family. A creme sheen formula, this wasn’t the worst. That accolade goes to Myth. A thick, thick formula that I used to paint on and wear with a super smokey eye for maximum ‘in yer face-ness’. Playing Koi – a limited edition shade – was very similar. Think Myth but with a tad more pink. I distinctly remember applying this in a car mirror before going to the cinema with my Boyfriend, turning to him post-application and him peering back with a look of horror in his eyes.
Luckily, my redeeming phase came next – the neutrals. Colours that complimented, enhanced and didn’t make me look like I was about the hit the ski slopes. After a few years of lipstick experimentation I’d finally found my formula: a dash of pink + a tint of brown + with an undertone peach = the much sought after ‘My Lips But Better’. Shy Girl came first. A shade that mixes all of the aforementioned and goes with any darn makeup look you could possibly do. Then came Patisserie; the colour I always tend to gravitate towards whenever I film a video. If you’ve ever watched a YouTube video of mine and pondered what colour I’m wearing on my lips, 95% of the time – it’s this. I just makes me feel ‘done’- you know? More recently I discovered Peach Blossom; which may just have overtaken Patisserie as my favourite lipstick of all the MAC ranks. A neutral pinky nude, I’ve finally found the colour that bridges together all my previous eras.
But really, no one does a red like MAC. They’re what it’s all about. My red discovery phase is only something that has occurred in the past year or two, but there are a few favourites that rule the roost in my lipstick stash. Ruby Woo – everyone got to have this bad boy. It’s so matte, it’s like slicking a powder onto the lips but it’s just one of those colours that rocks. Sometimes I throw this on during at-home days when I’m clothes in pyjamas just cause. You’ve got to love their orange-based reds too; a realisation that they work best with my skin tone is a step in the right direction away from the poorly fitting nudey nudes. Finally. Morange, Neon Orange and the Pro Longwear Lipcreme in Good to Go are impossible to distinguish when swatched, but you know a girl’s got to have choices, non?
My MAC Lipstick journey is kinda complete for now – swatching sessions at the candy counter always end up with me picking up colours I already own. Though thanks to the fast-paced launches I always have a newly released collection to delve into whenever I need a fix as a good ol’ MAC Lipstick will always have a place in my heart.
Comments